The new Emerald Physics EP4.7 loudspeakers will rock your world. Although open baffle technology has been in the public domain for decades, only recently have commercial products become available that use this concept effectively. Open baffle speakers have no enclosure, only a mounting board to which the drivers are attached.

The new RCM Sensor 2 phono preamplifier follows the successful RCM Sensor Prelude IC that was reviewed here on 10 Audio in December, 2012. I did not have the older version on hand for direct comparison, but I will tell you this without qualification or reservation: The RCM Sensor 2 sounds wonderful.

The Ayre K-5xe ^MP line level preamplifier has been in production for about five years and is mostly unchanged since its introduction. These long production lifetimes are standard for Ayre Acoustics which is located in Boulder, Colorado, literally at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Ayre has consistently produced fine sounding audio components which appear regularly on recommended lists.